1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to data entry and/or other input devices for computers, and more particularly to foot-operated data entry/input pads.
2. Related Art
As an example of data entry, measuring and recording the depth of a periodontal pocket caused by a periodontal disease, such as gingivitis, is one of the most important diagnostic activities in dental care. There are many known apparatus for taking these measurements. Commonly, these measurements are entered into a digital database via a computer. However, conventionally, the dental worker taking the measurements has been unable to enter the data manually without having to put down the measuring instruments and move his/her hands to a computer keyboard and/or mouse to record the measurements. Thus, the job is often performed by two or more workers, wherein one worker takes the measurements and the other worker enters them into the computer. Thus, there is a need for such a data entry system that can be operated easily without the use of hands.
For example, Grenfell, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,914) attach a foot pedal to an automatic probe used to measure gingival sulcus. The user positions the probe for measurement, and then activates the foot pedal. This triggers the automatic probe to take a depth measurement and transmit the result to the data recording system. Other devices, such as Murphy, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,184); Murphy (U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,753); Jeffcoat (U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,442); and Matoba, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,209) have similarly used a footpad to instruct an instrument to take a measurement and transmit the reading to a data recording system.
Ackerman, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,487) use a foot activated switch to switch between different modes of operation for analyzing and organizing data from a probe. However, the switch is not used to actually enter any data.
Eenboom, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,453) disclose a foot pad capable of very simple data entry. This device is capable of entering a bare yes/no response for the presence of plaque on a patient's teeth. Matoba, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,209) also teach a device that also is used to indicate whether plaque is present on a patient's teeth.
None of these devices are capable of entering information beyond a simple binary data set—e.g., yes or no, either/or, or on or off.
Also, there are references which disclose foot-operated controls for computers. For example, Hayes, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,807) discloses foot pedal controls for both flying and driving games. Also, Bookstein (U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,305) and Howell (U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,402) disclose foot-operated control of the position and movement of the computer's cursor. Also, Klarlund (U.S. Pat. No. 5,889,510) disclose a foot-operated keyboard with two arrays of switches—one in the toe-resting region, and one in the heel-resting region. Also Cochran, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,910,139) and Davidson, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,470,222) disclose remote control of surgical and/or dental instruments with a foot pedal controller. However, there is still a need for a foot-operated data entry system capable of allowing entry of a wider range of data, such as numeric or alphanumeric information.
There is also a need for foot-operated data entry/input devices for uses in fields other than dentistry, for example, other medical settings, various businesses and offices, warehouses and manufacturing facilities, and governmental, welfare, or charitable agencies. There is especially a need for a foot-operated data entry/input device in many fields wherein the user must, or prefers to, keep his/her hand(s) available for operation or handling of other equipment, material, or paper. Medical uses may include, but are not necessarily limited to, patient-intake, X-ray, ultrasound, and other imaging, and emergency room data management. These medical settings, as well as the other business and industrial settings, for example, may benefit from a foot-operated device that is simple relative to the preferred embodiments of the dental care versions of the invention. Thus, there is still a need for a foot-operated data entry/input device that is comfortably and easily operated by the user's foot and that may be used in addition to, or in place of, a conventional, hand-operated computer “mouse.”